Summer Collegiate

NorthPaws Swept by HarbourCats in Season-Opening Series

Published

2 years ago

June 5, 2023

Dugout Wire Service

Article written by Larry Read.

VICTORIA, BC—The road wasn’t a very hospitable place for the Kamloops NorthPaws as they opened up their second season in the West Coast Baseball League. Playing at Wilson’s Group Stadium in Victoria, the NorthPaws were swept in three straight games by the hometown HarbourCats

The scores were 13-3 in the season opener Friday (June 2), 6-4 on Saturday (June 3) and 4-3 on Sunday (June 4).

Of the three games, Kamloops had its best chance of winning in the finale. They led the game 2-0 after scoring twice in the first inning. Up 3-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning, The NorthPaws surrendered two runs. The ninth saw Victoria load the bases on their first three batters. Kevin Shay (San Carlos, CA) drove the ball to left field scoring the tying and winning runs.

The NorthPaws will head home to host Portland on Tuesday (June 6) while Victoria stays at home to open a set against the Walla Walla Sweets beginning Monday (June 5).

SERIES RECAP:

Friday, June 2, 2023-HarbourCats 13 NorthPaws 3

The NorthPaws led 1-0 after two innings but gave up three in the fourth, six in the sixth and four in the eighth. Kamloops added their other two runs in the fifth inning as they had six hits and committed one error. Victoria scored 13 runs on 10 hits.

Felix Chenier-Rondeau (Blainville, QC) led Kamloops offensively. Rondeau had two runs batted in and two stolen bases as he went one for three. Tyrelle Chadwick (Kamloops, BC) the third of five NorthPaws pitchers was tagged with the loss. He gave up four runs and two walks. Griffin Almond started on the mound for Kamloops and went three and two thirds innings.

Bradden Kesey (Manchans, Texas) led Victoria at the plate. The Grayson Country College player was one for four with three runs batted in. Ryan Magdic (Beamsville, ONT) was two for three at the dish with two runs batted in. Russell Young (Surrey, BC), who attends UBC hit a solo homer for Victoria. Dawson Huford (Victoria, BC) was the winning pitcher. He threw six innings of three hit ball, striking out four and walking one. Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598651

Saturday June 3, 2023-HarbourCats 6 NorthPaws 4

For the second straight night, the NorthPaws got the early lead scoring the games first run in the third inning. But Victoria notched deuces in the fourth, seventh and eighth as they had five hits and committed two errors.

Kamloops added a single run in the fourth and two more in the eighth notching three hits and committing two errors.

Infielder Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ) was one for four with two runs batted in for the NorthPaws. David Jeon (Coppell, TX) was tagged with the loss coming into the game in the eighth. He surrendered two runs, struck out one and walked two. He was the third pitcher for Kamloops who started lefty Hayden Walker. He pitched five innings, striking out three, walking one and walking one.

Offensively, Victoria was led by Ryan Magdic. The Florida Southern College player was one for three with two runs batted in. Jake Finkelstein (Richmond, BC) was the winning pitcher. He went an inning and a third and was the fourth HarbourCats pitcher. Starter Cam Calley (The Woodlands, TX) tossed the first five innings. The Baylor University lefthander had nine strikeouts, three walks, gave up two runs and one hit.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598652

Sunday, June 4, 2023 HarbourCats 4 NorthPaws 3

Kamloops scored two runs in the top of the first inning. Nathan Gray (Queen Creek, AZ) doubled to bring in leadoff hitter Tommy Green (Courtenay, BC) . Later, Nolan Austin (Kamloops, BC) singled and scored on a single from Jude Hall (Chilliwack, BC). Hall was two for three on the day.

The NorthPaws led 3-0 until that eighth inning when reliever Joey Carrenza (Duncanville, TX) gave up three straight walks to load the bases. The HarbourCats got on the scoreboard on a hit pitch and a ground ball.

In the bottom of the ninth, two ‘hot shots’ to third baseman Austin resulted in two Victoria players getting to first and second. Tyrus Hall (Victora, BC) beat out a bunt to load the bases setting up Kevin Shea’s dramatics. Hall was two for three on the day. Shea was two for four with two runs batted in.

Shortstop Cooper Neville (Glendale, AZ) was two for three and made two outstanding defensive plays for Kamloops.

Reliever Kolby Lukinchuk (Prince George, BC) suffered the loss. He was the fifth pitcher of the day and went an inning giving up the tying and winning runs. Tucker Christenson(Norwalk, IA) was the winner in relief. He pitched two thirds of an inning surrendering one strikeout.

Link to Scoresheet: http://baseball.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=598653

HEAD COACH KEITH FRANCIS:

On weekend vs Victoria: “I didn’t think we were too nervous. We have a lot of players who are new to the program. I thought the younger guys played well this weekend. On the first night we had one bad inning which did us in. Saturday saw us make some errors which cost us. Today (Sunday), our first two pitchers performed well. We just couldn’t pitch out of jams when we gave them (Victoria) chances to win. I am not taking anything away from them, they are a good team. We failed to execute but we will get better. I won’t lie to you—it’s a bitter pill to swallow (the results) but I have been there before. We will turn this around pretty quick.

On play of Nathan Gray and Cooper Neville: “Both these guys are just out of high school or have had just one year of college. Cooper especially hit the ball well. They are very fun to watch and will only get better.”

NorthPaws moving forward: “We have a catcher/outfielder and a pitcher who arrived in town (Kamloops) on the weekend. Both will be in the line up soon (one was sick and the others equipment didn’t arrive yet) and we have others making their way here after being knocked out of the College World Series. They will add a lot of depth to our roster.”

WE MEET AGAIN:

The NorthPaws and HarbourCats will meet one more time this season. The two teams will play in Kamloops in a three game series which begins July 28th.

NEXT UP:

The NorthPaws return home to Dearborn Ford Field at Norbrock Stadium to entertain the Portland Pickles. The three game set is Tuesday through Thursday (June 6-8th). Opening pitch all three nights is 6:35 PM. Wednesday, June 7th will see the Western Hockey League Kamloops Blazers honored. Members of the team will be on hand and will be signing autographs.

Kamloops will be at home for six games. The visit June 9-11.

If you can’t make the games, they are all webcast on https://wcleague.watch.pixellot.tv/ . Some will also be shown on Shaw TV in Kamloops (Cable 10 or 105 with Blue Curve). For “Everything NorthPaws-Go to the website : https://www.northpawsbaseball.ca/ “ Kamloops North Paws tickets: ticketing@northpawsbaseball.ca West Coast League: westcoastleague.com.

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Hemmerling tosses gem, Hawks win game one

Published

9 hours ago

August 8, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

The HarbourCats were held to just four hits tonight (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

August 8, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – Fueled by a complete game from starter Reece Hemmerling, the Edmonton Riverhawks cruised to a 6-1 win over the Victoria HarbourCats in game one of this best-of-three divisional playoff series.

Shea Lake (West Texas A&M), who was recently named one of two HarbourCats Pitchers-of-the-Year, was on the bump for the Cats and started strongly in the first inning. However, in the top of the second, the Hawks’ batters went to work. Anthony Kodama and Stevie Waters both hit RBI singles on the first pitch they saw to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.

BOX SCORE

Trent Lenihan hit a solo home run in the top of the third inning to make it 3-0. Cats left fielder Isaiah Afework (TAMU-CC) could not have come any closer to robbing that homer, as the ball went in and out of his glove as he jumped and reached over the fence.

Kamana Nahaku had two hits, including his fifth home run of 2025 (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

Lake completed four innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while striking out three and walking a pair. Meanwhile, Hemmerling was inducing soft contact all game long with his wipeout slider. Early on, there was a stretch where he retired nine Cats in a row, all while keeping his pitch count down.

Dustin Davidson (Freed Hardeman) was first out of the bullpen for Victoria and gave up two singles to begin the fifth inning. A sacrifice bunt attempt was then fielded by Davidson, but his attempted throw to get the lead runner at third was off the mark, sailing past his third baseman and allowing a fourth run to cross the plate. A wild pitch from the big lefty allowed a fifth run to score, which was followed by a bases-loaded walk to Waters, giving the Hawks a 6-0 advantage. Ethan McNish-Heider (Niagara) replaced him and got out of the bases-loaded jam on one pitch, getting Shiryu Sato to ground into an inning-ending double play.

WCL PLAYOFF SCORES

Hemmerling continued to dominate for Edmonton, allowing just three hits through eight innings of work. Kamana Nahaku (Hawaii) crushed a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to break the shutout and give the home fans something to cheer about. That was all Hemmerling gave up as he went the distance, pitching a complete game for the first time this season.

Shea Lake has been a workhorse all summer, pitching a total of 37.2 innings after tonight’s outing (Photo: Justin P. Morash)

Marcus Janovsky (UBC) pitched the final 3-1/3 innings for Victoria, giving up no runs on one hit, while striking out five.

Game two is tomorrow night at RE/MAX Field in Edmonton. First pitch is 7:05 PM local time, 6:05 PM PST. Hard-throwing right-hander Ryne Palmer is your HarbourCats projected starter. You can watch the game HERE or on the Edmonton Riverhawks YouTube channel.

2026 SEASON TICKETS – Season ticket renewals and sales are now on for the 2026 season! Existing season ticket holders can log in to their Showpass account and navigate to the Memberships link, where they can easily renew their seats online. Members can also drop in or call the office at 778-265-0327, and we can process the renewal for them. New Season Ticket buyers can click HERE to purchase seats for 2026!

For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

Source

Summer Collegiate

Victoria HarbourCats – Hawks rally late to clinch second half

Published

2 days ago

August 7, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

Jack Johnson’s sixth home run of the year was 98 MPH off the bat (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

August 6, 2025

For immediate release

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Edmonton Riverhawks scored six runs in the final two innings to beat the Victoria HarbourCats 7-2, clinching the second half North Division title, and the #2 seed in the playoffs.

This result means that game one of the first-round playoffs will be played in Victoria on Friday, August 8, at 6:35 PM. Tickets are on sale now HERE. Game two, and a potential game three if necessary, will be played in Edmonton on Saturday and Sunday.

The visitors got off to a quick start when Kyle Yip hit a two-out single to bring Shiryu Sato home in the top of the first inning to make it 1-0.

Jack Johnson (Tulane), who was named one of the HarbourCats Players of the Year along with Tanner Beltowski (Westmont) yesterday, hit a no-doubt solo home run in the bottom of the first to level things up 1-1. From there, it was a pitchers’ duel with former HarbourCat Mason Chamberlain on the bump for the Hawks and Carson Burks (Hill College) starting for the hosts. Burks threw three innings, giving up one run on five hits while striking out three.

BOX SCORE

Carson Burks finishes the season with a 3.85 ERA in 30.1 innings pitched (Christian J. Stewart)

He was replaced by Jack Finn, who produced 3-1/3 innings of shutout ball, striking out a season-high five batters.

After the Johnson home run, the Cats couldn’t solve Chamberlain until the sixth inning when Kamana Nahaku (Hawaii) hit a double off the left field wall, which brought up Dillon Lopez (St. Mary’s). The catcher has produced clutch hits all season, and tonight was no different, as he hit a single to left to bring Nahaku home and give his team their first lead of the night.

Dillon Dibrell (Rogers State U) replaced Finn in the seventh and inherited runners on second and third with one out. He struck out Trent Lenihan and got Yip to fly out, escaping the threat and holding onto the slim 2-1 lead.

The crowd of more than 2000 fans at Wilson’s Group Stadium at Royal Athletic Park was silenced in the top of the eighth when Stevie Waters hit a three-run home run off Dibrell to give the Hawks a 4-2 lead.

WCL STANDINGS

Kamana Nahaku has reached base safely in all 16 games he has played in this season (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

Yip hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, and Waters drove in his fourth run of the night with an RBI single to make it 7-2, putting the game beyond doubt.

Tristin Thomas (West Texas A&M) recorded the final three outs in the ninth, striking out a pair.

After a hard-fought four-game series this week, these two teams are back at it when it matters most this weekend in the playoffs. Don’t miss out on what is sure to be an incredible atmosphere Friday night at the ballpark as the WCL Playoffs return to Victoria.

BUY TICKETS HERE

Tickets and merchandise can also be purchased in person at the HarbourCats office at 101-1814 Vancouver Street or by calling 778-265-0327.

For more updates, be sure to follow @HarbourCats on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

Source

Summer Collegiate

Hayes goes deep again, Owls win final home game

Published

3 days ago

August 6, 2025

Dugout Wire Service

NANAIMO, B.C. — Jacob Hayes, and Owen Wessel, but the punctuation on it.

The Nanaimo NightOwls ended the home portion of their fourth season in the West Coast League with a convincing 6-1 triumph over the visiting Kamloops NorthPaws in an entertaining game played Sunday afternoon at Serauxmen Stadium.

Hayes, with a team-record 10th home run, and Wessel, with his first of the season, went deep for Nanaimo, while Dawson Schultz and Vinny Bruno kept the Kamloops bats silent.

Wessel hit a two-run shot in the second, and Hayes had a solo shot in the third. Both were to left field.

The NightOwls (22-29, 10-14 in second half) close out the season with three road games in Bellingham, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Season tickets will start renewal shortly after another exciting season of WCL baseball in Nanaimo, with local product and head coach Cody Andreychuk returning in 2026, and the expectation that veteran pitching coach Gorman Heimueller, one of the best in all of baseball, will be with Nanaimo next season for what will be his 50th year in the game — leading to a season-long celebration.

Dawson Schultz started and was masterful, going six innings with four hits allowed while striking out five. Vinny Bruno, the Italian right-hander, closed it with a save and three innings with two strikeouts.

Hayes, named team MVP before the game, was 2-3 with two RBIs, a walk, and a run scored. Andrew Ivy, Easton Mould and Spencer Sullivan also had two hits each. Andew Nykoluk had two runs and Wessel had two RBIs.

Sullivan was given the team’s Development Award, right-hander Aidan Boice was given the top pitcher award, Ryder Florence earned the citizenship award, and concession stalwart Jo-Ann Hammond was named the volunteer of the year.

Source